FENGYUN 2F

NORAD ID: 38049 Int'l Code: 2012-002A
Perigee: 35,776.5 km
Apogee: 35,798.1 km
Inclination: 0.2 &deg
Period: 1,436.1 minutes
Semi major axis: 42165 km
Launch date: January 13, 2012Source: People's Republic of China (PRC)
Comments: Fengyun 2F will enter service for the China Meteorological Administration. The spacecraft will collect real-time weather imagery every 15 minutes for forecasters in China and neighboring countries. The satellite will position itself over the equator at 112 degrees east longitude. Fengyun 2F will begin its operational life as a backup satellite, serving with other weather satellites launched in 2006 and 2008. Fengyun 2F features improvements over earlier Fengyun 2-series satellites, including an extension of its design life to four years. The craft carries instruments for visible and infrared high-resolution cloud imagery and for monitoring space weather.